One Hundred Bars of Chocolate
by ManicStarfish
Summary: Charlilly. My mother wanted Charlotte, and my father wished for Lilly. They comprised, they collaborated. Thus: Charlilly. No one asks my name, or where I'm from, or how I got here. They just assume that I'm from the land of lost children - like so many of themselves - and accept that as truth. I'm no longer Charlilly; I am Lydia of Wammy's. And this, this is my story. OCXMello
1. Prologue: Wammy's

**Chapter 1: Wammy's**

_Click. Click. Click._

The laptop screen lit the room as I mindlessly flicked through webpages, hoping for something to catch my interest. Google, YouTube, Email - nothing seemed to take my mind off of the matter at hand.

With a defeated sigh, I closed the laptop and paced over to a large bay window on the opposite end of the room. Someone had left a note reading,_ "Please do not open window"_plastered on one of the panes. I climbed onto the windowsill and rested my head against the glass. Who'd want to open the window in this weather? Thunder could be heard in all directions, lightning threateningly cracked the sky, and the mix of rain and wind guaranteed a thorough soaking to anyone who dared to step outside. I don't really think Wammy's needed to worry about me opening their precious windows any time soon.

My eyelids started to droop in preparation to nod off, but snapped back open at the sound of a quick rapping at my door. I jumped out of the windowsill and rushed over to answer. Had they decided this quickly? Would I be accepted? I struggled a bit with the key, and opened the door to a short, freckled lady with a clean-cut bob and a gleaming smile.

Okay, so she wasn't Roger - whom I was expecting - but her friendly expression indicated good news. I greeted her politely and welcomed her in.

"Well, hello!" She said, bearing a slight western accent. Her enthusiasm reminded me of my 2nd grade camp counselor. "I'm Alura. Roger told me that we had a new applicant, and assigned me to welcome you. If you do get in to Wammy's, I'm going to be your personal guide, teacher, and friend. But right now, I'm just here to alert you about dinner."

"Oh, um, hi Alura." I said, slightly taken aback by her exuberance. "My name is Ch-"

"Nope, nope, nope!" She cried, cutting off my sentence. She raised a dramatic finger to her lips in a shushing motion. "Roger and I already know your name. And we are the only two - besides you, of course - who are supposed to know it. Depending on your results tomorrow, you may receive your own alias so that I can address you a bit more formally, but until then..." The shushing finger returned to her lips once more.

"Oh... okay. I understand." I nodded, still a bit put off by her theatrics. I frowned a bit upon realizing that Alura had no greater clue as to whether or not I was accepted into Wammy's than I did, but figured that waiting on a night's rest would probably be better for my nerves than knowing tonight. "So... you said something about being my guide, right? What exactly does that mean?"

"Well, I'm sure from what little you've seen of this place, you've been able to gather that Wammy's isn't an average school, yes?" I looked around at the 'guest room' I was given while my application was reviewed. It resembled that of a five-star hotel's master suite; sleek hardwood floors, giant bay window, spacious and functional interior design - someone really knew how to decorate. I nodded in agreement.

"Well, it's not just our prestige that makes us different," Alura said, noticing my glances around the room. "It's our system. In order to train you all to become the next L, we need to work with your individual needs. So, each child is assigned a mentor to do just that. Every few days or so, you do group work with others of your level to work on collaborative thinking, and the rest of the time, you'll be learning with me."

Alura beamed again at the end of her explanation, and I returned an uneasy grin. I knew that I wasn't the smartest kid around - in fact, in school I had to struggle just to keep a C+ average. As nice as she seemed, I was afraid this was as close as we were going to get. This school was too good for your average idiot.

We made our way down beautiful stone corridors, whilst Alura babbled on about the ways of the institution. She talked about how teenage applicants were quite unusual, and how glad she was that she wouldn't have to teach me about the wonders of womanhood. On our way to the dining hall, Alura paused to show me "Wammy's Board of Excellence". After a thorough testing each month, she explained, Wammy's comes up with a list of their top 50 students. To me, it seemed more like a good source of humiliation for those who didn't make the list than it did as inspiration.

At the top of the list, there was a small boy with white hair who looked as though he didn't give a flying fuck to be Wammy's most valued. The word 'Near' was scrawled next to his picture. Below him, a masculine-looking blonde girl, apparently named 'Mello' smirked into the camera. After a cute redhead named Matt, a blonde girl named Yula, and a a blue-haired Tom, the list went off into just names. I suppose the following 95 students weren't important enough to have pictures. I eyed down the rest of the list and wondered where I would fit in... assuming I actually got into the school.

Alura pried me away from the board and led me towards the smell of gourmet cooking. We passed a large door, bursting with the sound of children's voices, and settled in a quiet nook by the kitchen. There were two plates already filled with slices of turkey, asparagus, and nicely-displayed kiwi.

"For obvious reasons, I can't allow you to meet any of the successors until you get accepted, but that doesn't mean you have to starve!" Said Alura, ushering me to sit.

Our dinner mainly consisted of Alura's upbeat personality shining through bits of meaningless conversation, with the appropriate nods and acknowledging grunts from my end. Meanwhile, I couldn't keep my mind from wandering to the events that led me to this moment. I thought about my life only a month ago, and wondered if I would ever go back to it... or if I wanted to go back to it. Who knew, maybe I'd be going back to it tomorrow. Maybe Roger would come by my room with the same, remorseful look that I'm sure he'd given many applicants, and would give the same mirror-rehearsed speech: "Missus Larainey, as wonderful as you seem, we regret to inform you that..." and then go on with his boring, Roger life. Or maybe he wouldn't even do that; maybe he'd just throw me out on the road and let me panhandle my way through life. I tried to clear my head of such thoughts.

After my stomach was full and Alura had run dry of topics, she kindly escorted me back to my room (though I assume it was more of a precaution than a formality. Can't have me opening the precious Wammy windows, can we?).

"Hey, don't worry too much about getting into Wammy's," She said when we arrived. Her expression turned uncharacteristically solemn as she looked me in the eye. "Being successor material doesn't necessarily mean that you have to know the square root of pi by heart, ya know."

_Good_, I thought. _Because otherwise, I'd be out of here before I even stepped foot in the door._

"Most people took me for an airhead when I was your age, but look at me now - a mentor at Wammy's. I won't give you a typical, unoriginal speech on believing in yourself, but... well, you know the ordeal. Even if you don't get accepted, there's tons of other options for you. Just don't be a Debbie Downer, okay?"

I smiled inwardly at Alura's lingo, suddenly envisioning her as a kindergarten teacher in her time before Wammy's. It seemed like a position that would suit her well.

"Sure thing," I nodded, somewhat thankful for the cliched-ness of her reassurance. "Goodnight, Alura."

She fared me goodnight, and I closed the door behind her. I gave one final glance around my temporary room and flicked off the light before climbing into bed. With the sounds of the rumbling thunder, cracking lightning, and falling rain, I fell quickly into slumber.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, all! Thanks for reading my story so far; I'll do my best to post at least one chapter a week, which should be fairly possible considering that I have no life. Reviews and messages are much appreciated so that I can improve. I'll attempt to bribe you by saying that I will respond to any and all reviews/messages via start-of-chapter shout outs :) **

**This chapter was more of a prologue than anything. I promise that all will be revealed about our protagonist within due time. Next chapter includes our favorite chocoholic, so please be sure to check that out once it gets posted. I just got 3 new video games, however, so I may be distracted for a while... Also, anyone know of good horror animes? I just finished Shiki and it was one of my favorites. But now I'm in that 'what do I do with my life now that this anime is over' state, so some recommendations would be helpful. I digress.**

**Anyway, This is my first story on so constructive criticism is welcome! Average chapters will be this length (about 1600 words) or longer. I hope you all enjoy my story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, only my original characters. I do, however, own an awesome cat named Oliver.**


	2. Chapter 2: Mello

**Shout-out to MyPublicNeedsMe: **Thanks SO much for being my first reviewer! On the FIRST night that I uploaded my story. You have no idea how awesome that made me feel. You, my friend, rock. I hope I've satisfied your Mello craving in this chapter. It's quite... Mello-y... :)

**A/N: **Not sure if anyone noticed, but I made a slight change to the previous chapter. I decided to make it a prologue just because it was kind of short (which I only realized after posting it... 1600 words seems like a lot when you type it, but reading it is a whole different story..). So, yes - while it is not a unnecessary chapter, it might help a bit to understand future chapters. But again, it is not necessary to read. Yup, that's it. Onwards we read!

**P.S **SO Sorry for posting this so late. I had a dream that I posted this chapter on Friday, and then I woke up thinking that I had actually posted it, and it wasn't until I actually checked my profile that I realized the situation. So... I apologize. Forgive my sins, dear readers.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Mello**

_7 years in the future... _

I let my feet dangle over the stony edge, watching the cars as they passed beneath. The sounds of angry car horns and music from some building down the block filled my ears as I leaned back and closed my eyes. I didn't like this city. It was crowded, and I couldn't hear the morning doves chirping outside my window in the morning. No one in this city ever seemed to want to slow down.

I felt a pair of boots brush against my bare feet, and I looked over to see Mello settling down by my side. He stared straight ahead with a solemn expression and a phone clutched in his hand. The burn on the side of his once flawless skin was facing me. He still hadn't told me - nor did I ask - about how he got it. I debated reaching out and touching it, but ultimately decided that now wasn't the time. I was sure he saw me staring, but he refused to meet my gaze.

"Are you still mad?" I asked. After a few moments, he faced my general direction, but still avoided my eyes.

"You inconvenienced me." He said.

He spoke so casually that one might have assumed we were chatting about weather. In truth, I kind of wanted him to be mad at me. To yell, or overreact, or do _some_thing - him being indifferent towards me was more painful than any insult he could have thrown.

"You told me I could come." I said, defensively. "You said it would be okay."

Silence.

"... Yeah, well. That offer expired."

The phone in Mello's hand gave a loud feedback noise before I could respond. He flinched a bit at the sound. "Goddammit, Matt, what are you doing?" He asked, sounding a little more like normal Mello.

"Sorry about that. One of the mics knocked over..." Matt's voice said, distorted slightly by the speaker phone.

"What's going on out there?" Mello asked.

"The same thing that was happening 10 minutes ago: nothing. This is boring," He complained.

"I need you to do this, Matt. Keep watching them. Oh, yeah, and..." Mello's eyes finally met mine for a short amount of time before he averted them. "... Your package arrived."

"Hey, Matt." I said on queue.

I could practically hear the boyish smirk on Matt's face as he snickered through the phone.

"She's not 'my package', dumbass. She's... reinforcement, if you will. Backup. Here to help save the day and beat Near."

"We were fine without her." Mello growled, resuming his avoidance of my gaze. His comment seemed directed more towards me than Matt.

"Yeah, because we've got such a jump on Near already. Face it, Mello, he's got a better squad and bett-"

Mello slammed his phone shut angrily. He mumbled something that sounded eerily similar to 'bastard' underneath his breath. Even though his still continued to look straight ahead, I knew he wasn't too mad at me. If he was as pissed as he said, he wouldn't have come up here in the first place. Knowing that, at least, gave me some comfort. I rested my head on his shoulder (he stiffened, but surprisingly allowed me to do so) and let myself relax.

"Where have you been all this time?"He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Five years..."

"It's a long story." I replied dismissively.

"It's a story that I want to know."

I looked up at Mello's face again, and he looked back at mine. Without breaking eye contact, he asked me once more to tell him. A chorus of car horns echoed below.

"You know, there used to be a park over there." I said, pointing out to a shopping mall below. Mello sighed at my avoidance of the question and stood up to go back inside the warehouse.

"Wait, Mello." I called after him, reluctantly. He paused and raised an eyebrow in my direction. "Just sit down. I'll tell you."

So I sat up, hugged my knees, and began to reveal my story.

_*5 years in the past*_

My hands were red and my fingers, achey, but I was too close to quit now. It only took a couple more twists of a couple more screws and it would be complete. I vaguely noticed Alura - my mentor at Wammy's - rising from my bed, a copy of _Flowers for Algernon _sliding off her face as she did so. Her normally perfect hair rose in all directions as she wiped the sleepiness away from her eyes.

"What now?" She yawned, spotting the nearly-constructed gadget in my hand. "Laser gun? UFO detector? Milk warmer?"

"Music box." I said, proudly displaying my work so far. "It plays 23 notes of Lilium while causing these little guys-" I gestured towards 3 small glass hummingbirds I crafted "-to dance around the center of this birdbath, here. It was a bit more complex than I originally thought. But worth it!"

"It's gorgeous." Alura said with half-lidded eyes. She yawned again and fell back onto my bed. "But don't get too comfortable. We've got Reasoning lessons in 15 minutes."

"I don't think you need to worry about _me _getting too comfortable, Alura." I laughed.

I continued adding the finishing details to my latest creation, while sitting cross-legged in my favorite bay window seat. As I hummed a thoughtless tune, the sun shined through one of the glass hummingbirds and cast a rainbow on my floor. I smiled at it's beauty.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar heavy hand banging on my door, followed by impatient knob-turning. I smirked and got up to answer the door.

"Hello, Mello." I said, reaching up to silence the dangling chimes on my door.

"Hey." Mello looked down as he greeted me, quite visibly in some sort of distress. My smile instantly turned to a concerned frown as he reached into his pocket and handed me the walkie-phone I'd given him and Matt a while back. It allowed them to communicate on their own untraceable private network during our more intense games of Mafia Murderer. "Here" was all he said as he shoved it into my hand.

"What's this for?" I asked, beginning to worry a bit. "You don't want it anymore?"

"I have the other one." He explained with a flat voice. "You can use this one to contact me."

"...Why would I need to do that?"

"Because, I'm leaving."

At risk of waking Alura with my hysterics, I closed the door behind me, and followed Mello down the hall. For a while, we walked in silence; neither he nor I knew exactly what to say. I figured, if anything, the best thing to ask was "Why?". So I did.

"L is dead." I gasped at Mello's words. I had no idea that Kira was _that _capable. I knew he was insanely intelligent, but...

"That means Kira is winning. And I can't let him... he can't..." Mello sighed. "Near knows, too. That L is dead. So... that means I have to catch Kira before him. I'm going to leave, find my own means to catch Kira. Matt's coming too, so you can use the walkie-phone to contact both of us."

Silence hung in the air for a few moments.

"...Unless you wanted to come, or something. We'd have space for you.'

I turned to Mello, who couldn't currently look me in the eyes, and tears started forming. I wanted to go, just to be with him, but I couldn't. I wasn't ready to leave Wammy's just yet. He and I both knew he always had more initiative than I did, more willingness to make the necessary decisions without looking back. Unlike him, I couldn't just leave like that; Wammy's was my new life - my better life. I needed to stay here. I needed to be with boring old Roger, and my pseudo-mother Alura, and - though I'd never dare say it to Mello - I needed to be with Near.

Yes, Near. I was head over heels for the lion _and _the lamb. I could stay with the lamb and have my love be forever unrequited, or follow the lion into a savanna I wasn't yet ready to face. Neither sounded very appealing, but for the time being, I supposed that staying in familiar environments just seemed... less _un_appealing.

So I stayed.

Mello turned and left without a word after hearing my decision. And I sat, in the middle of the corridor, and cried for the first time since I arrived at Wammy's. Somewhere along the blur of that same tragic day, my legs carried me into the only other room that I wanted to be in. I opened the door and Near sat in the middle, halfway through a blank puzzle.

"Lydia." He said, in means of a greeting.

"Near..." I walked towards him, and wrapped him in a hug, enjoying the feeling of his closeness. Never have I felt a body stiffen so fast as his did in that moment.

"I'm... going to have to ask you not to do that, Lydia..." Near said uncomfortably. He attempted to squirm out of my grip with difficulty.

I sighed, but eventually let go. If he was at all curious about my uncharacteristic gesture, Near sure didn't show it. Instead, he tugged at the wrinkles in his shirt, and turned his back to me while completing the puzzle.

"... Are you leaving soon?" I asked, after minutes of uncomfortable silence. "Mello did. I don't really think he has a plan yet, but... yeah."

"Once I gather the necessary provisions, I'll be on my way as well." He answered. "Wammy's won't house us for much longer. What do you plan to do?"

"Er, well, uh..." I stammered, a bit taken aback by his interest in my plans. He hardly ever asked about anything past formalities. "I guess... I guess I was sort of hoping I could join your team." I thought back to a few hours prior and felt a pang of guilt. "I mean, I know I'm not the brightest, but I'm pretty good with investigations. A-and I can help with some of the technology as well. Not hacking and stuff, but like, gadgets and... I can be helpful, you know?"

"Selling yourself to me isn't necessary, Lydia." Near said. "I know what kind of person you are. I must admit, though, I'm a bit surprised you didn't go with Mello."

"Me too."

"Well," Near twirled a lock of his hair in contemplation. "Sure. I'd be happy if you'd help aid me in the fight against Kira."

_*Returning to present*_

"That's where I've been since I last saw you. With Near." Mello's jaw clenched when I mentioned his rival's name. "I'd been using the walkie-phone almost every day, but you never answered. But you slipped up one day - you must have left it lying around, didn't you? Because Matt picked up. He picked up and he told me that you guys needed help, and that you were too caught up in the past and in your pride to let me join."

"Yeah, well fuck him. And you, too." Mello responded, though more in jest than in anger. "Matt and I already have a plan worked out just fine. You can go join your boyfriend Near again - that is, if he'll let you back in after betraying his little organization."

"That's just it, Mello. He won't. I don't have anywhere else to go. You know I was homeless for a month after I left the SPK? You, Matt, and Near are the only connections I have, and now that Near is out of the equation -"

"You come running to your second option, right?" Mello shook his head and stood up to leave. "You can stay for the night, but I don't want you here in the morning."

And with that, he left me in solitude on the rooftop.

* * *

**Yes, Mello is being very stubborn. He is sorry. We'll see how he his in the next chapter! And who knows, maybe Matt might join the party (in person this time), too! We shall see.**

**Thanks again to my lone reviewer and my readers. **

**P.S. To make it clear ahead of time, I typically don't write 'gooey' kind of romances. Just thought I should let you all know so that I'm not misleading any of you. It still is a romance, but more of a... different kind. I can't really put my finger on it. Dark romance? I don't know. Oh, and this fanfic will time-jump sometimes (I will always inform you when it does). Flashbacks, I feel, are necessary to learn more about our protagonist, because not a lot is said about her in the beginning. So yes, flashbacks are a common occurrence. Think that's about it.**

**Peace in the middle east. **


End file.
